With a few tweaks for Annapolis, color run set to go

The Annapolis Color Run will be held Sunday Aug. 6 starting at 9 a.m.. The run is a 5k through the heart of town which is intended to foster a greater sense of community between all people who call Annapolis home.

The Annapolis Color Run will be held Sunday Aug. 6 starting at 9 a.m.. The run is a 5k through the heart of town which is intended to foster a greater sense of community between all people who call Annapolis home.

Instead, just six weeks out from the Democratic primary contest with state Sen. John Astle, the business owner will be watching as groups of revelers pound the sidewalks of downtown Annapolis getting while pounded with color paint.

Buckley is one of the organizers of the Annapolis Color Run on Sunday, a plan to unite several downtown neighborhoods and bring a splash of color to the monthly First Sunday Arts Festival.

"It's been a real community effort," Buckley said. "We think a color run is a perfect fit for our community and our arts district."

The run, a popular event in Baltimore and other cities, has been in the works for more than a year. But getting it approved required some tweaks to make it work in Annapolis.

The 5 kilometer run and walk is being held by the Annapolis Arts District and the Inner West Street Association and will benefit the district, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, the Stanton Community Center and Siblings of Autism.

Runners will start off in white clothing at Lafayette Avenue and West Street, and by the end of the run, after passing four "color stations," will be painted with an array of hues.

While many color runs use powdered paint to decorate their runners, the Annapolis run will use watered down child-safe acrylic paint, stored in large buckets and fired using water guns.

When the event was being evaluated by the city, officials raised environmental, health, and fire concerns, said Rhonda Wardlaw, city spokeswoman. The concerns included that powdered paint initially proposed by event organizers was flammable.

By using watered-down acrylic paint instead, and by moving the paint-throwing portions of the run to private property, organizers addressed city concerns. Wardlaw said she is looking forward to the colorful event.

The alternative won't be as vibrant as powdered colors might have been, Buckley said, but there will be two people applying paint at the starting line, providing an extra dose of color. The liquid will also help cool people off on a hot day, organizers said. Buckley said he has personally tested the safety of the revised color technique.

Buckley said the paints will also be thrown on private property, and on non-hardened surfaces such as grass, avoiding runoff into storm drains and local waterways.

Color stations will be located at Buckley's home, the Boys & Girls Club, Pinky's Liquor Store and the Annapolis Police Station. Cpl. Amy Miguez, police spokeswoman, said officers won't be shooting paint at runners, but they will be on hand to cheer them on.

Runners will run on the sidewalks — roads won't be closed for the run.

The run will then head west from the starting point along secondary roads, traveling past the Boys & Girls Club at Wiley H. Bates Heritage Park, then cross Spa Road and West Street at Linden Avenue. From there the route turns east again, eventually culminating at the end of Clay Street at the arts festival.

Organizers capped this year's color run attendance at 300, and have about 150 runners signed up so far, said JR Mitchell of Annapolis-based Haymaker Media. Haymaker is volunteering time to market the event.

Mitchell said his company has donated its time because the event is a "little bit of magic" that will brighten a person's day.

Buckley, who has been a key player in several events over the last year in the Annapolis Arts District, said he would have done something like the color run regardless of his campaign.

But he also hopes the run will help reverse a negative impression people have of Clay Street.

"We need to get over our stigma that people have to places. When you go there you realize, what's everyone talking about? I just ran through there, I just walked through there," Buckley said.

Color run

Annapolis Color Run run will begin at 9 a.m. Aug. 6. Advance tickets are $25, day-of tickets are $30, family passes are $40, and children younger than 12 are free. Tickets get you entrance to the run, a towel, a medal and a free refreshment after — that's a beer for those older than 21 and a slurpee for others. For more information go to annapoliscolorrun.com.